


Thanks dad

by Zoya113



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Changing POV, Dad Hidgens, F/M, Wholesome, implied mental health issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 09:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18826186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya113/pseuds/Zoya113
Summary: Emma accidentally calls Hidgens ‘dad,’ and it causes more embarassment for the both of them than they’d like





	Thanks dad

“You look tired,” Paul noted as Emma rested her head on his shoulder.   
“A bit,” she flicked through her Biology textbook.   
“Do you want my coffee?” He offered  
“Nah, Beanies has shit coffee,” Emma put a hand over her mouth as she yawned. “But thank you though,” she tilted her head up and blinked at Paul. “And thanks for coming with me.”   
He had tagged along to the college library to keep her company whilst she studied for an upcoming test. The library was mostly abandoned this late at night but they managed to find a couch in the corner secluded from the rest of the library. It was already late and Emma looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.   
“Do you wanna head home?”   
“No, I just gotta finish this chapter, then I’ll leave. You can go home if you’re tired though.”   
“Hah, I don’t think you’ll make it home if you walk. You’re looking exhausted.”   
“Only a little.” She dropped her book down in her lap. “Ugh, I don’t understand shit about the Krebs Cycle,” Emma stared absently up at the ceiling. She shut her eyes like she was blinking but decided not to open them again.   
“Let’s go home,” Paul decided, waiting for her to get up before he moved.   
“Yeah, okay. Just hold on a sec,” she breathed in heavily. “We just have to see Hidgens before we leave so I can ask him about the Krebs cycle. He’ll still be on campus or something,” she yawned again. “Actually, I texted him ‘bout it already I think.”  
“Okay, let’s go home then, right?” Once more, he waited for her to get up so he wouldn’t have to move her off his shoulder. “Em?”   
He put a hand around her. “And she’s gone,” he waved his other hand in front of her eyes. “Thank god for that.” Emma needed the rest. He readjusted himself so   
Emma was lying in his lap rather than on his shoulder. He took her phone off her lap, checking the time.   
It was almost 11, he started considering ways to get her to the car without waking her.   
“Ah! Emma! There you are! I’m glad I caught you!” Someone approached the two, catching him by surprise.   
“Ah! Shh!” Paul snapped, appearing aggressive than he had intended. When he turned to find the culprit though he let out a sigh of relief. “Oh! Hidgens! Hi,” he lowered his voice to a whisper.  
“I brought Emma some sheets she was asking about,” he tilted his head to try and look at her. “Oh! She’s asleep,” he gave a anxious smile, awkwardly shuffling the papers he was holding about in his hands.   
“Ah...”  
“I’ll take them,” when Paul lifted up his arm from around Emma to take the papers the girl shifted.   
“Huh? Oh, hey,” she looked up at Hidgens with sleepy eyes, making no effort to sit up or appear more presentable. “Did I fall asleep?”   
“Yeah, time to head home I think,” he kissed her forehead as she sat up.   
“These are for you, Emma,” Hidgens handed her the papers she needed and she gave a tired smile.  
“Thanks dad,” she yawned, rubbing her eyes.  
“Em,” Paul nudged her.   
“Hm?”   
He looked up at Hidgens who was frozen in place, instead of laughing it off he looked surprised. His lip was twitching but he couldn’t tell if that was because he was trying to stop himself smiling or crying.   
Emma squinted for a second, trying to figure out why everyone appeared so shocked. She just about jumped out of her seat. She stumbled to her feet, brushing her hair into place and straightening out her blouse.   
“Sorry! I mean Professor, Hidgens- I meant Professor Hidgens.” She dipped her head, even the tips of her ears had turned red.   
Hidgens waved his hands. “No, it’s not a problem,” he sounded like he didn’t know what to say.   
Paul knew Emma looked at Hidgens as a sort of father figure and he assumed that Hidgens viewed Emma as maybe even a sort of foster daughter. He thought they were both aware of how they viewed each other and that was why she would go to his house to study and had his number in her phone and brought him groceries but from their current interaction it seemed that they had never discussed this before.  
The library somehow became more silent than it was before.  
“Uh, anyways professor, it was lovely to see you again. I’m gonna get Emma home. She’s very exhausted.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her out of the library.   
“What was that!?” Emma hissed the second the library door shut behind them. “Did I actually say that?” She batted Paul’s shoulder.   
“Well, yeah, but it’s not a big deal!”   
“Yes it is!”   
“No, it happens to the best of us! Y’know once when I was ten I called my teacher-“   
“Emphasis on ‘when I was ten!’ Paul!” She held her hands up around her eyes like blinkers. “I’m in college!” She didn’t take her hands away from her face until she was in the passenger seat and Paul could see her red face again.   
“Maybe I should text him,” she pulled her phone from her pocket but almost immediately tossed it Paul’s way. “He’s already text me!”   
“Do you want to read it?”   
She looked conflicted and frightened. “Can you? Just don’t tell me if it’s something bad!” She picked it up off his lap and rushed it into his hands. “Just don’t tell me if it’s something bad.”   
Paul snickered, opening up her phone. “Why would it be something bad?”   
“What if he says ‘don’t ever show your face in my class ever again’ or something like that!” She continued to fret as Paul read over the messages. 

‘Hello!  
I hope those papers will be of some help!  
Please let me know if you need any more revision.   
I hope I didn’t wake you in the library, you looked very tired!’

“Why are you saying anything? Is it bad?” Emma bit her lip.  
“No, it’s just a long message. I’m not done reading.” 

‘Maybe you have been working too hard lately, you should try to get more rest if possible.’ 

“Also, I think he’s just stalling. This is like a whole essay. I don’t know how he wrote this so quickly,” he scrolled down to see how long the message went on for. “Almost done though!”  
Emma sunk in her chair with a groan. “I’m dead.”

‘You should be trying to get seven to ten hours of sleep if you have the time. If you need to discuss changing your work load please come and speak to me anytime you are available.’

Paul read the last past out loud. “Oh, but look. ‘My deepest apologies for the lack of proper action taken when I saw you in the library!’ He speaks so formally, wow. ‘I had no clue you saw me as a father figure. I was not offended, if you were concerned. I thought that was a lovely thing to say.’ See? Happy ending! You don’t have to be so worried anymore, it made him happy!”   
Emma groaned to cover up her relief.   
“Oh! He’s typing,” Paul gave the phone back to Emma and she shut her eyes.   
“No! Read it to me!” She titled the phone back towards Paul and they both leaned towards each other.  
Paul smiled as the message came through.   
“‘As an older man, I don’t have much family left. I understand it was a mistake but it did make me smile, thank you,’ and then he signed his name at the bottom like it was an email.”   
Emma opened one eye, skimming over the message to confirm that was what it really said. She laughed nervously, almost in disbelief.  
“Feeling better now?” Paul asked, starting up the car as Emma did up her seatbelt.   
“Hah, yeah. I guess I am. Do you think I have to reply?”   
“Of course you do! It was so nice of him to say.”   
“Well what should I say?” Emma tucked her phone under her thigh to take her mind off it.  
“No clue. Maybe just go see him in person tomorrow?”   
“Well I don’t think I can ever look him in the face again.”   
“Hey! He said it made him smile, it wouldn’t be fair if you never saw him again. Plus, you’re too attached. He should just adopt you already.”   
“God, I wish,” she scoffed.   
Paul laughed, “you guys will work it out. Come on, let’s get you to off to bed now or else you won’t be able to get up for work tomorrow.” 

————————-——————————-

Hidgens liked staying on campus after hours. It was quiet and he enjoyed seeing students come and go about their business at their own pace. There was a certain solidarity shared between those on campus so late.   
A couple hours ago, Emma had text him to ask for some extra revision papers on the Krebs Cycle and he had only now gotten around to printing them off for her. He picked up the papers from the printer tray, they were still warm.   
He yawned, it was going to be midnight soon. All he had left to do was drop the papers off in his office for Emma to collect the next day, then he had nothing else to do- he could head home.   
Hidgens stalked at the printer, deciding to check if it needed any extra paper.   
He didn’t feel ready to go home yet. Surely there was something else on campus he could do to keep him busy. He knew he’d need coffee in the morning but he knew Emma would be able to get something for him. He smiled, she was generous with him like that and he appreciated it more than she could ever know.   
He settled on the decision of seeing her at Beanies in the morning, giving him a reason to excuse his behaviour of staying up late.  
His eyelids were unreasonably heavy, he had fallen asleep in his office this morning. He checked his watch, he was running off about three hours of sleep but it had been like that for years. Home was hauntingly empty, and he wanted to avoid it at any cost. He preferred being on campus, not stewing over the past for yet another night.   
He gripped the papers tightly between his hands. He decided to go to the library, just to check whether everyone had cleared out before midnight when the library was supposed to close. Any reason to stay there as long as possible.   
He passed three students and one professor on the way there, all of which were headed home for the night.   
A sickness grew in his stomach.  
He browsed the aisles of the library, listening for any sort of noises that would indicate someone’s presence in the library.   
He was wandering around aimlessly, the library must be completely empty. There wasn’t a single sound. He decided it would be better to head home but something kept him moving. Maybe it wasn’t so much the silence he was avoiding, but the memories.   
That’s when he heard a voice.   
“Em?”  
It was nearby, he knew Paul’s voice just as well as he knew his own.   
“And she’s gone,” Paul sighed.  
Hidgens felt a sense of joy overtaking the sickness in his stomach. Paul must have come with Emma.  
“Thank god for that,” he mumbled.   
Hidgens saw Paul in the corner of the library, Emma was leaning on his shoulder. She was probably up late studying again, despite all the times he had told her not to push herself so hard.   
He marched up to Emma and Paul, presenting the papers he was holding. “Ah! Emma! There you are! I’m glad I caught you!” He grinned.   
“Ah! Shh!” Paul hushed him, whipping around to face him. When he saw him he sighed. “Oh! Hidgens, hi!” He whispered.  
“I brought Emma some sheets she was asking about,” he tried to catch a glimpse of her face, she hadn’t turned around to see him yet. Instantly he was hit with a strong sense of guilt, maybe he had done something to upset her.   
“Oh! She’s asleep,” Paul gestured to the girl who was now sprawled out on the couch. Her jaw was hanging open and her hair fell messily down her shoulders. She was still in her work uniform and her blouse was untucked from her shorts.  
Hidgens looked back down at the papers in his hands until Paul offered to take them. He reached out the grab them but in doing so woke Emma up.  
“Huh? Oh, hey,” she gazed up at him, her eyes were still unfocused and she was barely awake. “Did I fall asleep?”   
“Yeah, time to head home I think,” Paul titled down to kiss her forehead as she got up.   
“These are for you, Emma,” he held out the papers and she smiled with relief.  
“Thanks dad,” she put a hand over her mouth as she yawned.  
Hidgens felt his heart stop. He must’ve been imagining it but Paul looked surprised too.   
“Em,” Paul tapped her shoulder.  
“Hm?” Emma raised one eyebrow.  
Hidgens could feel them both staring at him. He knew he had to shrug it off and laugh, students do that all the time. It was only a mistake and nothing more. There was no way Emma looked at him like a father. But as much as he knew he had to diffuse the situation he just couldn’t move. He wanted to cry, or maybe he wanted to smile, he didn’t know. He had to keep reminding himself it was just a slip up, as much as he looked at her like a daughter there was no way she reciprocated that feeling -but maybe she did.   
Then Emma realised what had happened. She shot up, standing shakily on her feet. She brushed her hair back and fixed up her shirt, stumbling over her words and eventually falling silent.   
“No, it’s not a problem,” he had no clue what else to say. He waved his hand as if to tell her it was okay but no more words came out. Suddenly going home didn’t seem like such an awful idea. It had to be better than the rough conversation they were pulling each other through.   
“Uh, anyways professor, it was lovely to see you again. I’m gonna get Emma home. She’s very exhausted.” Paul ushered Emma out of the library.   
He frowned. He had to go and screw up their chat because he just didn’t know what to say.   
He had to fix it.  
He searched his several pockets for his phone, finding Emma in his contacts and racing to send her a message.   
‘Hello!’ He was unsure whether the exclamation point was necessary but had no time to correct himself. He had to clear things up as soon as possible.

‘I hope those papers will be of some help!  
Please let me know if you need any more revision.   
I hope I didn’t wake you in the library, you looked very tired! Maybe you have been working too hard lately, you should try to get more rest if possible.’ 

There was no way she was going to adhere to his ‘get more sleep’ policy he had been trying to set in place but he needed as much content in his message as possible to draw Emma’s attention away from what he was saying.

‘You should be trying to get seven to ten hours of sleep if you have the time. If you need to discuss changing your work load please come and speak to me anytime you are available. My deepest apologies for the lack of proper action taken when I saw you in the library! I had no clue you saw me as a father figure. I was not offended, if you were concerned. I thought that was a lovely thing to say.’ He hit send, waiting anxiously.   
He almost didn’t want her to reply.   
He didn’t want to hear ‘yes! Sorry! Just an accident, it won’t happen again!’ He didn’t need his loneliness shoved down his throat anymore than it already was. He felt like he was risking something by continuing to type but before he could stop himself he had said too much. 

‘As an older man, I don’t have much family left. I understand it was a mistake but it did make me smile, thank you,  
-Hidgens’   
He tucked his phone back into his pocket, hurrying now to his office. He rushed to pack everything into his bag and clean up for the day.   
He already knew he wasn’t going to feel good enough for tomorrow’s lecture.   
Then he felt his phone ringing in his pocket.   
No one ever rang him. He was sure it was some sort of telemarketer but it was almost midnight, no one would call at midnight.   
‘Emma’ the phone screen said. ‘Answer or decline,’ it prompted. He didn’t hesitate.   
He held the phone to his ear but all he could hear were muffled voices,   
“No clue. Maybe just go see him in person tomorrow?”   
Hidgens quickly realised it was an accidental call. He should’ve realised before he even picked up the phone, no one ever called him.   
“Well I don’t think I can ever look him in the face again,” came Emma’s muffled voice. She sounded stressed.   
“Hey! He said it made him smile, it wouldn’t be fair if you never saw him again.” He caught his breath, he was about to hang up when he realised they were talking about his messages. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear Emma’s reply.   
“Plus, you’re too attached. He should just adopt you already,” Paul added, there was some sort of laugh from one of them.   
“God, I wish,” Emma sounded dead serious.   
Hidgens hung up the phone before he could hear anymore. He slowly tucked it back into his pocket. He could feel his body turning warm and a smile breaking out on his face.   
The warm feeling stayed with him as he made the long drive home and as he ate a small dinner and even as he finally got into bed.   
Tonight, his house seemed a little less empty.


End file.
